|
|
|
|
|
|
by rjtobin
2146 days ago
|
|
|
I think the interpretation of "you don't get anywhere" is the crux. There are a few games I've put a few hundred hours in, and those hours were mostly fun and exciting. I gained skills in the game, some of which are transferrable to other things, but most of which aren't. If I was to put the same time into a new programming language, I'd have gained a different set of skills, again some transferrable and some not. I think most people judge the second set of skills as more worthwhile than the first (maybe because it is tied to employability, and is seen as more "age appropriate"). Another aspect is that programming isn't designed to be addictive in the way some games are. Something like World of Warcraft seems designed specifically to hook into the part of the brain that rewards grind. In the moment, WoW is very compelling. But looking back on what was accomplished, I don't feel particularly positive about it. Compared to a programming project with a similar time commitment, in the moment it is on average less compelling probably, but the achievements are more satisfying in retrospect. Somehow this makes programming seem more worthwhile (though maybe I have just internalized the societal standards from above, and that's why I feel more satisfied with the programming projects). |
|
|
Spending a weekend on a programming project for fun can almost feel like the height of self-actualization to me. A pure intellectual challenge that makes me feel good and gives me a real proving ground. And I almost always look back on it and am proud of my effort even if I don't accomplish what I wanted.
Meanwhile it's too easy to spend empty, unfulfilling time in games. My time in World of Warcraft was wasn't self-actualization but more narcotic entertainment. It was less challenge and more empty feelgood treadmill. It felt good at the time, but not a year later. And it was addicting and easy in a way that programming (creation, exertion) is not. Even when I got into add-on development (which produced some fulfillment), that was only a small fraction of my time spent playing.
I don't think the point needs to be that one is always good and the other is always bad. But my advice to my former self and young people would be to beware of games. Ideally we all have a creative outlet that gives us real fulfillment. Even if you get sucked into games, hopefully it can redeem itself as a creative outlet rather than leave you in a narcotic-like rut.
I think Joe's comments make perfect sense if you see it as a letter to his former self and thus young people in general. I just remember when I was a heavy gamer, I hated acknowledging that yeah, I kinda am wasting my time, and it's not fulfilling. My parents were right, but it's a hard pill to swallow when it's one of the only things you've found that excites you (and you've stopped looking).
On the other hand, I think a lot of life advice is too hard to apply and better experienced yourself. Sometimes you just have to spend a year in an MMORPG in your teens, quit it, and then think "yeah, what a waste of time that was." And you learn a good lesson about how you want to spend your time. The danger is that I have two friends in their 30s who never quit, and it shows. Never had girlfriends, never traveled, slave to games, seem miserable -- and it's hard for me to see how they are setting themselves up for life fulfillment. And I think that matters.
That's all I have to say on the topic. To avoid spamming my PoV any more in these threads, this was my last one.